This invention relates to methods for making sock liners for insertion into shoes and, more particularly, to methods for making sock liners for insertion into athletic shoes.
A typical athletic shoe includes a midsole, an upper secured to the midsole and configured for covering a wearer's foot, an outsole secured to the underside of the midsole, and a sock liner on the upper side of the midsole. The sock liner is generally made of a resilient foam material such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyurethane (PU). Some sock liners have resilient inserts encapsulated by the foam material. These inserts comprise preformed pads. The pads are placed into a mold and then a liquid material (e.g., urethane) is poured into the mold to form the urethane foam around the inserts.
A disadvantage of such prior art method of making sock liners is that the inserts tend to shift as the liquid material is poured into the mold.